COVID-19 modified the way in which many people deliberate for journey. We’re all various kinds of travellers, snug with totally different ranges of danger. However one factor all of us have in widespread: our must really feel secure and guarded is paramount. That’s why, greater than ever, journey insurance coverage is so vital to contemplate, whether or not you’re travelling out-of-province, over the border or internationally.
Studying your journey insurance coverage coverage earlier than your departure will stop you from making any assumptions about protection or advantages, by figuring out what you’re and aren’t lined for. On this submit, you’ll be taught extra in regards to the numerous elements of a journey insurance coverage coverage.
Undecided how to decide on the appropriate protection? Go for the coverage that fits you finest by asking the appropriate inquiries to your journey insurance coverage dealer or monetary advisor.

Before you purchase journey insurance coverage
Understanding your journey insurance coverage coverage begins with studying extra about the kind of protection you might have. Before you purchase, establish the kinds of journey insurance coverage that’ll finest meet your wants and ensure the protection limits to know the precise quantity of safety you might have. At this level, it’s additionally a good suggestion to match protection out of your bank card or group insurance coverage plan and decide if in case you have the protection you want.
Not all journey insurance coverage are created equally. Insurance policies will be custom-made primarily based on particular person wants, well being, age, and exercise preferences. Protection additionally differs from one journey insurance coverage supplier to a different. So, once you purchase, it’s vital to not solely examine the value, but additionally how the plan will defend you in case of any journey mishaps.
Being well-informed about your coverage and the the explanation why your journey insurance coverage declare might be denied may help you keep away from pricey surprises, each throughout and after your journey.

Ideas that will help you navigate your journey insurance coverage coverage
That can assist you perceive your journey insurance coverage plan higher, we’ve compiled a couple of tips to use when studying your coverage wording. Take the time to undergo the coverage; it may be overwhelming at first look, but when you understand what to search for, it may possibly enable you develop into extra accustomed to your protection. Plus, in the event you want clarification, you may all the time choose up the telephone and test in together with your insurance coverage skilled or journey insurance coverage supplier’s customer support group.
Listed below are some key elements that it’s best to take a look at:
- Vital Contact Info
- Interval of Protection
- Advantages
- Lined Dangers
- Exclusions
- Pre-existing Medical Situations
- Sports activities & Actions
Vital contact data
In case your journey insurance coverage supplier gives emergency medical help, maintain a document of the contact numbers (together with the worldwide entry codes in your vacation spot) listed within the coverage doc. In case of a journey medical emergency overseas, figuring out methods to contact your journey insurance coverage firm will enable you notify them as quickly as attainable and get the appropriate care and data throughout your time of want.
TIP: In case you’re a TuGo policyholder, it’s also possible to obtain the TuGo Pockets app in your smartphone for direct entry to us, in the event you’re in a medical emergency. Obtain for iOS or Android.

Interval of protection
Relying on the journey insurance coverage protection you select, the interval of protection helps you make clear when your protection kicks in, and when it expires.
For instance, your Multi Journey Annual Journey Inside Canada plan may cowl you for a most of 35 consecutive days per journey, with protection beginning on the date of every departure from your own home province and ending every time you come back again to your own home province or on the expiry date of the coverage (whichever happens first).
Protection Advantages
To be taught extra about the advantages of your Emergency Medical coverage, consider the eligible medical and associated bills that the corporate will cowl and the way you’ll be reimbursed. Listed below are 2 key issues to notice:
- Orient your self with key definitions, equivalent to what’s a medical emergency and what isn’t? What’s the which means of a medical remedy? How does the corporate outline a pre-existing medical situation?
- Profit limits define the utmost quantity that you just’ll be reimbursed. Affirm these limits for various emergency medical advantages equivalent to hospital allowance, fracture remedy, dental providers, childcare, return of pets & return of car.
Take a look at these associated articles and/or FAQs that will help you higher perceive your Emergency Medical protection:
For non-medical insurance coverage insurance policies like Baggage Insurance coverage and Rental Automobile Safety, pay attention to the key phrases and circumstances. For example, in case of misplaced, broken, or delayed baggage, know precisely what is roofed and the totally different necessities wanted that will help you open a declare easily.

Lined Dangers
In case your journey plans get delayed, cancelled, or interrupted, Journey Cancellation & Journey Interruption Insurance coverage helps you get reimbursed for pay as you go, non-refundable unused journey bills if it’s important to cancel or interrupt all or a part of your journey.
Lined dangers in your coverage establish the legitimate causes for cancelling or interrupting your journey that the insurance coverage firm will present protection for. For instance, a few of the causes lined by TuGo are:
- Medical causes – i.e., a medical situation, demise or quarantine of you, your travelling companion, or a member of the family.
- When an official journey advisory has been issued by the Canadian authorities for the scheduled journey dates after the date the journey is booked or the insurance coverage is bought. The journey advisory have to be in impact on the scheduled departure date or inside the 7 days earlier than.
- The cancellation of a standard service (e.g., your flight) for any purpose aside from chapter, insolvency, or quarantine.
- Pure disasters or unforeseeable occasions which render your or your travelling companion’s precept residence uninhabitable or place of job inoperative.
- Subpoenaed for Jury obligation or courtroom look throughout your interval of journey.
- The non-issuance of you or your journey companion’s journey or pupil visa for causes past your management.
- Lack of Everlasting employment supplied you had been employed for multiple 12 months.
- A job switch which ends up in the relocation of you or your travelling companion’s principal residence.
- The cancellation of enterprise assembly at your last vacation spot.
As you finalize your journey, be taught extra about your vacation spot to raised perceive the sort of protection you’ll want. Based mostly in your analysis, you’ll have the ability to affirm in case your coverage will reimburse you in case you have to change your journey plans final minute, on account of occasions past your management.
Exclusions & Situations
Most travellers are underneath the impression that after they purchase journey insurance coverage, they’ll be lined it doesn’t matter what. Like several kind of insurance coverage, there are some occasions and circumstances that will merely not be lined by journey insurance coverage.
Earlier than you journey, arm your self with data on these common exclusions or circumstances relevant to all plans that would impression your protection:
Pre-existing Medical Situations
Relying on the plan you buy, your coverage might/might not present protection for medical circumstances and/or signs that existed earlier than your journey. Test your coverage to see the way it defines “pre-existing medical situation” and “steady/stability”. You’ll additionally need to overview how unstable pre-existing medical circumstances can impression claims.

Journey Sports activities & Excessive-risk Actions
Amongst all of the areas lined by journey insurance coverage, this is among the areas the place suppliers can differ probably the most. Earlier than you propose any adventurous sports activities or actions, make sure that they’re lined by your coverage. Search for plans the place your supposed exercise is particularly talked about and whether or not it’ll cowl you in the event you’re taking part as an expert athlete or a coach. Research the coverage’s exclusion checklist fastidiously to make sure that you’re higher ready when taking part in these actions.
Not all journey insurance coverage suppliers cowl journey sports activities and actions, however we do! TuGo’s Emergency Medical Insurance coverage covers you for actions like mountain climbing, ziplining, bungee leaping and even parasailing. Plus, for adrenaline seekers, our Sports activities & Actions Protection goes past to cowl sports activities and actions like scuba diving, backcountry snowboarding/snowboarding, downhill mountain biking, mountaineering and extra.
Identical to any monetary contract, time taken to know your journey insurance coverage coverage all the time pays off in the long term—whether or not you’re a seasoned snowbird, a first-time backpacker, or a household on their annual trip. You probably have any questions on understanding your journey insurance coverage coverage, share them within the feedback beneath.
Secure travels,
Melissa
Editor’s Notice: This submit was initially printed in November 2020 and has been up to date for freshness and/or accuracy.